Reuben e



(No Model.)

. R. E. GURTIGB.

WIRE FASTENER.

Patentedan. 28, 1896,

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'Afro/Mfrs.

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sons over ground encompassed by the fence, and when erected thefence-wires which are NITE STATES PATENT OEEicE.

REUBEN E. CURTIOE, OF SPENCER, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND REASONMONOSMITH, OF SAME PLACE.

WIRE-FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 553,748, dated January28, 1896. Application iiled January 7, 1895. Serial No. 534,056. (Nomodel.)

To @ZZ wwne it may con/cern:

Be it known that I, REUBEN E. OURTICE, of Spencer, in the county ofMedina and State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Wire Fence,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to wire fences of a class provided with uprightstay-rods which are secured at intervals on the fence-wires to keep themspaced and parallel; and the obj ect of the invention is to providenovel springclasps for a wire fence of the class indicated which will besimple and cheap in construction, which may be quickly and veryconveniently applied, and that will when applied retain the verticalstay-rods on the fence-wires and permit their ready removal should thisbecome necessary.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts, asis hereinafter described, and indicated in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar iigures and letters of referenceindicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of an end panel of a wirefence and the improved clasps applied to retain a stay-rod in connectionwith the fence-wires. Fig. 2 is a detached enlarged perspective view ofthe improved fence-wire clasp in its preferred form, and Fig. 3 is asimilar view of a slightly-modified form of the clasp.

In the drawings, A represents one of a series of fence-posts providedfor the support of a long line of wire fence, which posts are planted,as usual, in an upright position in the ground.

The fence-wires B, in proper number, have one end of each secured to thepostA at correct distances apart, thus providing a barrier to preventthe free passage of animals or pershown as broken offk are extended toany required length.

The stay-rod C is of a kind in common use, and consists of a cylindricwire rod of sufficient length and diameter for effective service, andwhen the fence-line is erected said stay-rods, in proper number, areprovided for supporting the fence-wires in a spaced condition betweenthe fence-posts, the latter being usually located at considerabledistances apart. Ordinarily the stay-rods for a wire fence are securedon the fence-wires, so as to hold them parallel, by wrapping thin wirestrands around each rod and the wires where the latter are impin ged bythe upright rods.

It is a matter of considerable labor, and necessarily consumes a gooddeal of time, to properly tie the stay-rods of a wire fence to the wiresby the use of wire strands, as mentioned, and in case the fence, or aportion of it, has to be moved the removal of the tiewires is tedious.

The improved device which is the subject of this invention affords asimple, strong and durable spring-clasp, which can be quickly placed andas quickly removed by a proper manipulation, but is not liable todisplacement unless this is designedly eifected.

The improvement comprises a bindingclasp constructed from a singlestrand of spring-wire as follows: The spring-wire blank that isfurnished of a correct length for the production of one of the improvedclasping devices is bent near its center of length, so as to form theloop l0, the two limbs 1l thus produced being spaced apart by said loopformation. At a suitable distance from the loop 10 the limbs 1l are bentforwardly in curves, as shown at 12 in Figs. 2 and 3, thereby affordingtwo U -shaped Aformations that are spaced apart by the loop 10. Twosimilar loops 13 are formed on the limbs 11 by their ogee curvature, asclearly indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, the straight remaining portions ofthe limbs l1 being thus disposed in about the same plane substantiallyat a right angle with the vertical plane of the loop y10, each loop 13occupying the same horizontal plane as the straight limb it is anintegral portion of and lies adjacent to. There is adownwardly-extending hook 14 formed on the extremity of the upperstraight limb ll, anda similar upwardly-projecting hook 15 is formed onthe lower one of the two parallel straight members 11, said hooks beingcurved in the direction of each other.

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Then the spring-clasp that has been described is to be appli-ed for theclamped at tachment of the stay-rod C, for example, to the upperfence-wire B, this is readily effected by first passing the device overthe fene-e-wire, so as to locate said wire in the loop 10, which willdispose the limbs 11 one above and the other below the fence-wire and incontact with it or nearly so. As clearly shown, the curved formations orrear loops 12 are so projected behind the fence-wire B that room isafforded for the insertion of the stay-rod C between the loops 12 andfence-wire, and for effective service the parts of the clasping devicemust be so proportioned with relation to the diameter of the stay-rodthat the latter will closely fit in the apertures bounded by the twocurved formations 12 and the wire B, so that the introduction of thestayrod at one end of the same will enable the elasping device to firmlybind the rod C and wire B together. Vhcn the loops 12 are horizontal andprojected rearward from the engaged fencewire 13, as has been explained,the other forward loops 13 will lie above and below the fence-wire, andthese loops afford spring action to the limbs 11, so as to forciblypress their hooks 1l 15 against the fence wire, thereby completing theattachment of the claspin g device to the fence-wire and stay-rod,

lt will be evident that from the peculiar formation of the novel clasping device which has been described a certain degree of spring action ispermitted where the stay-rod is embraced by the loops 12, so thatclimatic changes in temperature to which the wire fence is exposed willbe compensated for, and the clasping of the wires and stay-rods of thefence will be equally reliable in summer heat and the coldest weather.

lt is obvious that one of the improved springclasps is to be providedfor each fencewvire where it is to be connected with 'an uprightstay-rod, as shown in Fig. 1, and when the clasps are in position thesimple act of thrusting the rod down through the loops 12 on each claspwill fix the rod C and clasps on the wires and hold the latter correctlyspaced apart.

1n4 Fig. 3 the construction of the clasping device is the same as thatrepresented in Figs. 1 and 2, with the exception that one of the limbs1l is removed at the front end of one member of the lower loop 12, or itmay be that the upper limb is eut off and the lower limb is leftremaining. In either case the removal of one limb will not materiallyaffect the utility of the clasping device, but it is preferred onaccount of the slight advantage afforded by using the pair of limbs andthe more symmetrical appearance conferred by their employment, that twosubstantially simi* lar spring-limbs 11 having the hooks let 15 beprovided for the improved stay-rod holder and fence-wire clasp.

Having thus described my invention, l claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent-- 1. A stay-rod holder and fence-wire clasp,comprising a wire bent upon itself to form a loop and two approximatelyparallel members and then having both of its members bent to form withthe members of the first loop two U-shaped loops, lying one above theother and at right angles to the said first loop, one member being thenbent in a reverse direction to form a loop and then extended andprovided with a hook at its end substantially as described.

2. A stay-rod holder and fence-wire clasp, comprising a wire bent uponitself to form a loop and two approximately parallel members then havingboth of its members bent to form with the members of the first loop twoU- shaped loops lying one above the other and at right angles to thesaid first loop and then bent in the reverse direction to form two simi`lar loops, the said members then extending approximately parallel andterminating in oppositely-projecting hooks, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a wire fence and a stay-rod therefor, of a setof spring-clasps, each comprising a wire strand bent upon itself to forma loop and two approximately parallel members, then having both of itsmembers bent to form with the first loop two U-shaped loops lying oneabove the other and at right angles to the said first loop and then bentin the reverse direction to form similar loops, the members being thenextended approximately parallel and each provided at its end with a hookadapted to press on a fence-wire when the said wire and stayrod are heldtogether by the looped members of the clasp, substantially as described.

REUBEN E. CURTICIE. lVitnesses:

L. C. DAUGHERTY, F. L. ALDRIcH.

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